The Academy of Sin and Punishment
by Lala Fantasia
Summary: I've recently read the book The School for Good and Evil, and the first five pages was a disappointment. So immediately I started writing this. The book itself was pretty good. The premise is good vs evil, but what if the one meant for good turns out to be evil and evil is good. More will be explained inside. OCs are real.
1. The Beginning

Summary-ish: Like I said. I recently (and by recently I mean, just fours days ago bought the book and just finished reading it yesterday) got the book. I got the idea for this story after five pages of disappointment. The book's attempt at its premise disappointed me but it did bring in a new factor that even I hadn't thought of. However, I digress. The story goes like this, every four years two children are kidnapped to this school for good and evil and never seen again. Only come back as fairy tales. So these two girls end up getting kidnapped and the rest is history. That's the original. For this story it happens every year. The end.

 **A/N: Please Read!** I'm sorry for the lame opening chapter, it's really just to get a feel of why this is going on and how. The book did the same thing. Speaking of the book it's actually a trilogy, and currently I don't have possession of them, but once I do- here's to (read as: trying and failing to)"read four books in a day" like Prussia! To be inspired is not to plagiarize, so hopefully I don't/won't overlap, but due to lack of inspiration or reason I might borrow some ideas. As for OCs, I don't like them. Usually, to me, they're bland and/or lack personality or self inserts, however for this story it'll be a 1:1 ratio of OCs to Canon, minus the teachers, for interacting purposes. For OCs, a brief description will be available at the bottom.

Original Post Date: 8/6/15

* * *

 **Prologue**

The Good and the Bad. The Hero and the Villain. Good vs Evil. In fairy tales there is a hero and there is a villain. The good and the bad. Good will always win and the bad are always punished. Sin and Punishment, where the Sin represent the Evil and Punishment represents the Good.

Those who Sin are the bad of this corrupted world. Those who are Punished are the saviors who offer all the good left to protect. They are the driving force of the world. They are the balances that keeps the world as it is. In Good there exists Bad, and in Bad there exists Good. One cannot exist without the other, but the tragedy is that Good will always triumph. But that wasn't always the case.

Back when the calamity struck Evil had won. No matter how good Good was, Evil had triumphed. Now it is a happy time. Now Good are the victors. Balance had been restored and Good will always triumph. But not all agree.

 _Who is to say Evil cannot triumph again?_ _Who is to stop them from trying. And who is to prevent Good from obliterating all Evil?_ So the people had decided, with the help of three elders, they had entrusted the power to bind the destiny and balance of Good and Evil in a book. The book that writes out the significant history of Good and Evil. The book that binds the lives of the people involved. The book of Fairy Tales.

The book was all seeing. It told of the great battles held between both sides. It wrote of what would happen. It predicted the future. But not enough for either sides to know what is to happen. Not enough to prevent it from writing out their fates. _The Book of Fates_. It's other well known name. A powerful book that can predict but will never chance victory to either side.

As time went by centuries had passed. The book predicted being stored away in a tower. No, a building. A library. Of a school to be exact. The book had been stored away in a school. A school that will house those who participate in the tales. A school of Good and Evil. The Academy of Sin and Punishment.

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Once upon a time is where our story begins. In a land known as Deutschenland, the people live very ordinary lives as peasants could. They are neither poor nor rich, but they get by enough to live a fulfilling life. The adults work day and night to provide enough for themselves and the children, while the children enjoy their childhoods playing all day and night. The innocence of childhood the adults called it. They let them be free as much as they can before they turn twelve.

That is how our story begins. You see, where the kingdoms of far and wide hope to get their children into the Academy of Sin and Punishment, the lesser lands pray their children will never get picked. Every year, children across the land, a pair is picked to attend the school, and every day after they never see them again. Only when they graduate do they return. However, for the less fortunate of those chosen from the lower class the children never see graduation. And so the adults let them do as they please.

This year, the same as any other, the adults have dressed their children in the best of their clothes and pray that they won't be taken away. It is not always clear who gets taken away but they know it's always one good child and one bad child. Gender, age, experience, it all differs from each year. Only when they turn eighteen are the children really ever safe from this tradition. This _Ritual_.

As for the who and when of our story, a boy and a girl watch from the outskirts of town as the panic settle in. The girl, a mere fifteen year old, with hair as red as blood and skin as fair as swan, prayed for the safe return of the next chosen pair as she overlooked the town. The boy, sixteen years of age, with skin as pale as death and eyes so rare even the animals fear, scowled at the people of the town.

"It's so stupid." He said to no one in particular.

"What is?" The girl asked in that solemn tone of hers.

"The fucking _Ritual_!" He spat. "The adults think we don't know, but all they're doing is sending us to our graves. They don't care at all."

The wind blew north and blood locks swayed with the wind. A moment of pause as the girl took in the fresh scent that was carried off. "You don't mean that."

The boy looked down from the branch he was sitting on at the girl standing next to the tree, scowl in place. "Of course I do! Why else would I say it if I didn't mean it!" He paused for her to retort, but it never came. "Why else would they dress us up like dolls and put us on display. If they really cared they'd do everything they could to stop it."

This time she did speak with that unchanging monotony. "They did. Remember? Many years ago. The people have given in to the book. They dress us up so we could be presentable if and when we are taken. That way there is no remorse."

"Yeah, well they should have tried harder! And what nonsense is it that we have to look our best! If they want to remember us then remember us in what we wanna wear. Remember us for us."

For the first time in a long while the girl looked up at the boy, her voice sympathetic.

"Gil. You don't mean that. Our parents look after us the best they can. When the time comes we'll never see them again, and they'll never see us. The least we can do is be the best they want."

The boy looked at his fiddling hands in thought. He was contemplating of the girl's words. It hurt, and he hated to admit it.

"It's still stupid after all." He said as he jumped down from the branch.

"Gilbert!" The girl called after him. "Where are you going?" She asked, walking along side the boy.

"Home. My brother's probably missing me, and my father's just waiting for me to get home so we can get this over with."

The girl smiled as she understood what he really meant. Every child is worried they might never see their parents again and they are no different. As they entered the town borders again, they went their separate ways.

Along the way home the whispers of the adults with children too young to be chosen, and lucky enough to not be chosen, can be heard

 _Who do you think will be chosen?_

 _Maybe Martha's boy._

 _Little Ben?_

 _Little? That boy's not little anymore. He's always messin' with my hens. It'll be good riddance once he's gone._

 _What about sweet little Elaine. That girl is always bringin' everyone flowers. She even cooks for the less fortunate around here. What a heart of gold. It'll be a pity when she's gone._

 _And saint Ellis._

 _Oh, that girl really is a saint. Feeding the strays and always helping the elderly._

 _She's a smart one too. Always able to keep_ that boy _at bay._

 _That boy?_

 _Aldrich's boy._

 _Ludwig? Why he's as kind as any good little boys should._

 _No, no, no. Thank goodness he's not old enough yet. The other one. The_ ghost _._

 _Him? It'll be good riddance if we could get rid of him. Always picking fights with everyone._

 _He's already been skipped for three years. And if we wait another three more he'll no longer qualify._

 _Shh. Shh. There he is._

The boy was in a foul mood from all the whispering gossip in town. And today was an even worse day to be about. He dreaded the way the adults talked about the Ritual. It was always more like an offering than a tradition. The way they were put on display for a shadow to take them away. And the gossip of who was to be taken like it were a show for the more fortunate. It was as if they look forward to losing more children to the book than preventing it.

Upon arriving home he was greeted with an iron grip hug. His younger brother, only eleven, had always clung to him, but today was special. Like the past three years after the boy had turned twelve the younger worried that he'd never see him again. This year he had a feeling and decided to be together for as long as they could, but it was a bit suffocating for the elder boy. Today he had left early leaving the younger to worry.

"Hey. It's alright. I'm still here, _I'm right here_." He said petting the young blonde. The younger boy didn't look up, not even when his father came up from behind.

"Gilbert. You should get dressed." The stoic tone his father possessed was emotionless as ever.

"I _am_ dressed."

"That's not what I meant."

The boy didn't want to fight. So he blew out from his noise and tapped the younger boy still attached to his torso.

"Come on, Luddy, ya gotta let go, 'else I can't move."

The boy shook his head in refusal.

"Ludwig." Their father commanded. It wasn't a command, but the boy understood and reluctantly let go. The door closed behind them as they entered the house readying for the night.

* * *

Eleven o'clock, the tower chimed. Only one hour before midnight when the shadow would choose it's prey. The girl had readied herself in her best dress. A pretty little floral dress, patterned with lavender and white cherry blossoms over white canvas, and a pair of white slippers with a little bow on top. Her long red hair was let down from her pony tail and it trailed down to her ankles. She looked herself in the mirror to make sure all was in place. She checked and checked, but there wasn't much to look at. A small smile graced her lips as she looked in the mirror again. She placed a set of small blue flowers in her hair, it was a sharp contrast to her red, but a piercing resemblance to her eyes, and she loved it.

By eleven thirty all the children of eligible age were lined up by the clock tower. The parents prayed, and so did the children. Some however looked excited. Some were freshly turned of age, and some hoping tonight would be their last. They waited in silence for the time to pass, but with each minute they only wished much more that time would move backwards or just stop completely so midnight would never come.

Only five minutes till midnight. And with each second passing parents began preparing themselves to never see their children again. Taking last glances and hoping that this won't be the last they counted the seconds remaining.

Only two minutes left. Any last words were said between loved ones as they waited for the fated hour.

One minute and the girl turns to see the boy comforting his younger brother. The younger picks forget-me-nots growing nearby and gives them to the boy.

 _ **~Gong…Gong…Gong~**_

Midnight. The children look up at the clock tower. A shadow.

 _-Blink_ -

And two are gone.

* * *

1\. Deutschenland is on purpose.

2\. The Girl (Ellis Knight): 15 going on 16. Her birthday is June 26th. She has long red hair all the way to her ankles when let down and blue eyes the color of a bachelor's button. She is the same height as the boy (Prussia aka Gilbert Beilschmidt). An understanding and sympathetic girl whose patience is incomparable. She loves flowers and has many flower dresses to go with her appreciation. [For character design think Yuuko from xxxHolic with red hair and blue eyes while serious/sober.]


	2. The Entrance

**a/n:** i finally finished reading the rest of the books. and they were boring. a little awkward kind of funny, but mostly boring. but because of that i mostly have an outline for the story. and i apologize for the line breaks in this one. also the two teachers in this chapter are nobodies, they're cookie cutter characters used for placement, so idk who they are personality and character wise, maybe they'll be guards idk.

* * *

The stroke of midnight came and past. Immediately two children were whisked away by the shadow. The adults clung to those who were lucky enough to survive, but one adult could not. Relief was stolen from him the second he opened his eyes. In a flash the boy he had raised for the past sixteen years was gone.

A boy, only eleven, stood beside his father. Not a word uttered. Not a tear shed. _Be brave_ , he tells himself. Three years he was lucky enough to be skipped. Three extra years he had survived. The boy had been right, but he couldn't forgive the other.

Five minutes past midnight and the town was moving again, albeit slow. They returned to their homes to celebrate surviving another year. The boy turned to his father and began to drag him home.

The house was silent. It won't be as lively as it was before. And soon next year the trial begins all over again. This time the younger would be next. The man could only pray to not lose another.

* * *

Up the clock tower. Over the houses. Out the town and up the hill. Past the trees then head straight. A sharp turn left and down the hill. Over the pond, take a right and into the forest. Left to the clearing and down the rabbit's hole. Out of the tree and into the river. Down the stream, through a tunnel, One…Two…Three. And drop.

Goodbye status quo and hello Fairy Tales.

"AaaAaaAAHHh! Oof!"

"Nice of you to drop in, Mr. Beilschmidt, but everyone else is waiting for you. So get in line with the rest."

The boy had merely seconds to understand his situation. Only a minute ago was he standing in the middle of the town square, before the clock tower. When he heard the first ring of the bell, everything turned black, followed by a rapid array of quick movement and motions. Left, right, up, down, all in a black shadow. He couldn't see a thing, not even with his hand right in front of him. Then the next thing he knew, he was falling. A quick and easy drop onto light, poofy clouds. Currently, he is too dazed to question the authoritative voice, and complied with the notion.

"Alright. Now that everybody is here, I'll begin passing out your schedules." The woman with the authoritative voice said as she magically (as in out-of-nowhere) produced, what the boy assumed their schedules, in her hand. She walked by each student handing them a sheet of blank paper. The students became confused.

"In your hands right now are your schedules and your room and class assignments. For the next five years your class will not change." She said eyeing the newcomers. "Your room assignments, as well as your roommates will stay the same. The only way you will ever get a room reassignment is if one of you try and manage to kill each other. Otherwise no change." Like a drill sergeant she continued to explain the rules of the academy. All the while the boy was in disbelief.

"Any questions?" The drill sergeant asked.

Murmurs were exchanged before a boy with the thickest eyebrows the other had ever seen decided to speak up.

" _I'm sorry to say this, ma'am, but these pages are blank._ "

The boy spoke in a language he hadn't heard before. It was completely alien to him. Took him by surprise when the sound finally struck. But a few words here and there sounded similar. And judging by the Drill Sergeant's answer, it must have been about the empty paper they had all received.

"Must I teach you everything." She growled. "Put some spit into it and blow." She instructed as the students eyed her with disbelief. Even Gilbert had a hard time believing it. When the boy with the thick brows demonstrated (or tried to recover from humiliation) the rest followed suit. Albeit a little disgusted, soon their schedules appeared on wet sheets of paper. Each designated to their owners. On the top of the page was their names in bold letters and place of origin, below it, they had assumed it be their room number and class. Followed by it was a list of their classes. Disbelief soon followed as Gilbert scanned through his schedule.

* * *

A murky swamp trembled as students started arriving. One by one the students came right out of the ground. As if emerging from water their hands clawed from the ground up and pulled themselves upright. As if it were normal. A few got stuck but none tried to help. However, only one did not come from the ground.

From the swamp, the water spiraled upwards for a few feet before it returned back to the swamp and the passenger fell into the water. Ellis then emerged from the water, wet and swimming towards land.

"Good day, Miss Knight. I don't know what your impressions of our school is, but being wet on the first day, or any other day, is intolerable. Dry yourself before moving along."

The girl blinked at the instructor before her. She stayed silent as she tried to squeeze out the water from her dress and her hair. It took a while, but in the end she was mostly rid of the heavy weight. Though she was still damp to the touch.

"Now that everyone has finally made it. I welcome you to the rest of your lives." The Instructor said; the elegance in his voice mismatching of the subject at hand. "As you know, you cannot leave school grounds, and you cannot return home unless you graduate. That is, _if_ you graduate."

Ellis watched the Instructor as he walked towards the other end of the line. It reminded her of the rare times when nobles had thought their small town darling and decided to stop by. The Instructor himself reminded her of the nobles that Gilbert hated the most.

The Instructor then produced, out of thin air, a small stack of papers, blank from Ellis' vision. "In my hands are your schedules for the rest of your first year here." He said as he handed each student a sheet. (Somehow Ellis has managed to cut her finger on it.) "For now they are blank. To see what it holds, merely dab it with your saliva and release your breath onto the page. It will recognize your signature and reveal to you the information it holds. Watch as I demonstrate."

The Instructor licked his thumb and and smeared it on the page before exhaling a short breath over the page. The students mimicked the action. Each revealing their schedules for the year.

"Are you having trouble?" A voiced piqued up next to her.

Indeed, Ellis was having a bit of trouble with hers. The page was slightly smeared with blood from her paper cut, and a bit damp from her wet hands, but that wasn't the problem. When she breathed into the page it wouldn't reveal the words like the rest. Only a blur.

"A little." She answered. The boy next to her offered to help, but the Instructor interrupted instead.

"Is there a problem Miss Knight, Mr. Galante?" Ellis looked up from the boy, younger than her it seems, and at the Instructor. From the way he spoke, it felt less from concern and more like a rhetorical question, but she answered anyway.

"I can't seem to be able to see my schedule, sir." She said as she held up the page for him to see.

The Instructor sighed out his nose and took the page in his hands. The words on the page were barely there, only somewhat blurred. But it wasn't completely clear. He looked back at the girl that watched him with unwavering blue eyes before darting back to the page.

"Well, that's because its too damp. The words are there, blurry, but clearly there. Maybe you'll think twice about showing to school wet. The school will redistribute another to your dorm room. For now, it seems you and Mr. Galante share the same schedule. As for your room, we'll be giving a tour for the new students, we'll see what room you're in once we pass by the dorm councilors. Now come along, we shouldn't keep everyone waiting."

And soon the tour began.

* * *

"You keep staring at me and I'll stab your eyes out." The blonde, bushy-browed teen snapped.

"Sorry. Just not use to all this." Gilbert said from his side of the room. "Isn't it weird."

"Not as weird as you. You don't look like you belong. And you obviously know nothing about the school."

"Well _sorry_ for seeing this school like some hell hole prison!" He lashed in defense. "From where I come from, no one makes it back. Dead or alive. Only in some stupid fairy tale, and that's not always the case."

The room was silent for a moment before the blonde with the weird speech pattern spoke. "Sorry. I didn't know." (Course not.) "But it's not all bad here. For me, this is paradise. Three older brothers and parents that never seemed to care, compared to that, this is _heaven_. If you don't mind me asking, what was your life before, you know, coming here."

Gilbert was a bit miffed, but he calmed and decided to answer the blonde.

"I lived in a small town with my father and little brother. Mom's dead, but we lived a peaceful life. Except every year on this day, that is. Never liked it. The way our elders paraded us like offerings for a sacrifice."

He dreaded the thought of his younger brother all alone with his father getting up in the years. And come next year he'd be old enough to be committed. He didn't want to see him again if possible. Not here anyway.

The silence settled in after that. It was a long while before either spoke again. It was the blonde.

"I never did catch your name. Beilsmith?"

"It's _Beilschmidt._ Don't get that fancy tongue of yours messin' it up again."

" _Beil_ schmit." He repeated, only to fail at the pronunciation. Gilbert had let it pass with a 'close enough'. He blamed it on the weird language they spoke. Then the boy held up his hand for a shake. "Kirkland. Arthur Kirkland of Great Britania."

Gilbert eyed the action with skepticism but slowly accepted it with a shake of his own.

"Gilbert. Gilbert Beilschmidt of Deutschenland."

The blonde smiled.

"Welcome to the Academy of Redemption for the Punished."

* * *

Within the Tower of Despair, Ellis wandered the halls pondering her day. She studied the murals on the walls, each coming to life the longer she looked at them. Slowly they had moved from scene to scene depicting of their triumph over good. The littlest things really, but in fairy tales of good and happiness, the littlest can seem to be the greatest of victories.

Looking at them, she wondered if she can ever be like them. Witches and liars, Evil and rotten. But more so, she wondered _why_. Why is it they became this way. Why is it that even the smallest things can seem so big. Why is it that she was here. _Why is it that she felt that she belonged_. Yet she doesn't know her reason.

It was at the end of the tour when she started to question _why_. And even now she has no answer. When the Instructor asked the class their reason for being here, even the quiet spoken Galante boy, Raivis, she had learned, only a mere thirteen, had known why he was here.

At first, she did not understand. His reasoning, as he had put it 'I hurt with my words', was definitely something a child could and would do. For a boy of thirteen it seemed natural to tease others. It was a part of adolescence, she had mused as she remembered the children back home. Teasing was normal for them, it was a sign of kinship. Then she thought back to how some of them used to bully others just the same with name calling and such. But it was hard to believe of the boy whom she shares a schedule with.

When she was done with her stroll, Ellis returned to her room. She was the only student to receive a single bed room. It was odd when others had either roommates of two or three, but she gladly accepted it along with her place and schedule for her time at the Academy of Desolation for the Sinned. She looked over her schedule again.

It read:

Ellis Knight of Deutschenland

Tower: Despair Rm. 368

Year : 1 ~Witchcraft

Period 1: The Art of Deceit...Emily Strange

Period 2: History of Fairy Tales...Mana Emerson

Period 3: Self Defense Arts...Rhodenia Kaien

Period 4: Literature...Miranda Rosenberg

Lunch

Period 5: Revenge 101...Magnus Fierro

Period 6: Survival...Mikael

The more she looked it over, the more unease she felt. Then she thought back to the beginning. Maybe it was a mistake, there were plenty of signs pointing her to be a misfit, with the way she messed up her schedule, and her entrance from the moor. But there was only one way out, and that is through a fairy tale, but that can only happen after graduation. She sighed and put her schedule on the lamp desk next to her bed and slept on it, praying for the safety of the other who was taken alongside her.


	3. The Introduction

**a/n: Ninilia:** i totally understand, OCs are turn offs, but when they do become real they are no longer considered OCs, but rather characters essential to the story.

on another note, no i did not make up these last names on a whim. i found a website with a list of last names in america and just matched them up. i'm also sorry for the uniforms they wear, haven't really given much thought to the uniforms. as for my OCs, they existed before this story, they just happen to be able to fit into this world the way they were, so i borrowed some so it'd be easier for me to maneuver because they would be fresh to readers, and can act however they want without suspicion, or in a fanfiction's case, out of character. with that said, i do apologize for Prussia' character though, his is going off script, but if he doesn't there would be no story. or at least, an interesting one. so i thank you for reading this, both my note and the story itself.

* * *

Gilbert Beilschmidt of Deutschenland

Tower: Chivalry Rm. 425

Year 1~ Knighthood

Period 1: Etiquette & Mannerisms...Sophia Queen

Period 2: History of Fairy Tales...Mana Emerson

Period 3: Swordsmanship...Sir Glen

Period 4: Self Defense Arts...Agatha Lacey

Lunch

Period 5: Literature...Sir Conan Doyle

Period 6: Survival...Miguel

* * *

Dressed in the uniform provided by the school, Gilbert read off the first class on his schedule.

" _Etiquette and Mannerisms._ "

He looked himself over in the mirror. Dressed in a blazer and necktie over a button up shirt, he looked just like the nobles, too caught up with style to wear anything but stylish. He resented them and everything they represent. And then there were the slacks.

Prim, proper, and neat. Ironed flat and freshly pressed presented to them by their door step early morning before the clock even struck. White and pure like the school he was in. White and pure like his skin and blazer. White and dead like him. Simply put, he didn't like the uniform.

"Bloody hell. You look like the reaper."

Arthur, dressed in the same, said. Even in its colorless fashion it suited him well. With what little color Arthur owns it made him quite handsome. Brought out every color of him. From his bright green eyes to his dirty blonde hair to even his smile. (Or in this case, his smirk as he sneered at Gilbert's discomfort at both the uniform and schedule.)

"Cheer up, love. At least we have the first class together. Better to know someone than none, I'd say." He said with that strange speech of his. Gilbert grumbled in dismay as they left their room for the classroom.

First class of the first day and already the students were buzzing with whispered rumors. Excitement of the Academy for the Atoned and rumors of whom's child are whom. No longer are they concerned of their whereabouts or their futures. Only the now that they venture.

The students of the class were what you'd expect of a fairy tale prince or princess. Prim and proper just like their uniforms. (But that could also just be because of the uniforms.) They were all perfectly groomed with golden blonde hair and sparkly green or blue eyes. Flawless skin like a porcelain doll, the very picture of 'picture perfect'. Gilbert felt he didn't fit in even more, until he spotted a brunette with the oddest features he could imagine.

In the girls uniform of a button up blouse and a clear white overall circle skirt was a girl with _cat ears_. He thought it was a blur of the motion, a trick of the imagination, but when he blinked… it was still there. _And it twitched_. Live ears, _live cat ears_ , twitched at the twinkle from the girl she was having a conversation with. And her tail. Her tail!

The girl had a tail as white as snow that swayed in a slow motion. Left, right. Then another flick to the left. She was a cat. An animal, but with a human body. A cat. (It's safe to assume he couldn't get over the idea that she was a cat.)

"You're staring." Arthur chided, snapping Gilbert out of his subconscious reaction. "If you like the lad, go ask her instead of standing there like an idiot."

"W-what!? I was not." Gilbert stuttered. He looked at the girl from the corner of his eye and saw her ear twitch as she _meowed_. She meowed and purred. She caught his gaze from the corner of her eye and turned to him with a cat smile.

The girl had wide green eyes, almost borderline _yellow_. Her face so small that her eyes nearly take up half her face. And her smile, when closed form an almost feline structured jaw, and when opened a fang or two is clearly visible. Her brunette hair had a strange style to it (part of the reason which attracted Gilbert's attention). A portion of her hair was wrapped in a small bun to the left of her head, while the rest, behind her cat ears, gathered together in a strange braid that trailed slightly past her shoulders. And atop her head, before those flickering ears, was a bow, a _large_ bow, amongst the many accessories she adorned. And holding her bangs up was a decorated pair of hair pins.

The Cat Girl, as Gilbert deemed her, after catching him red handed started her way over towards them. When she got to their row in the middle of the room, she leaned with her hands (paws?) onto the desk and gave them a befitting Cheshire Cat grin. With her big round eyes, she eyed them both from head to waist (because that's as far as the desk lets her see); a body check. She purred as she observed Gilbert. From his albino white hair, to his defective, mutated eyes, and then she sniffed him.

She sniffed him.

She. _Sniffed._ Him.

And with a meow she started to greet them.

"Anna." She said energetically, but it was close to a statement. "My name. You smell different."

Gilbert had decided the second she decided to smell him that Cat Girl — Anna — is too weird to be human, and should not be associated with. But it was getting a bit too difficult when she didn't take the hint that he was ignoring her. She blinked those big round eyes of hers and titled her head as if waiting for an answer.

Blink, blink, _blink_.

Arthur was the one to break the awkward silence, but from the looks of things he didn't want to know Cat Girl either.

"Anna, was it? My name's Arthur, and this gentleman," he gestured at Gilbert, "is the killer of Deutschenland, Gilbert."

Gilbert playfully shoved the other for his quipping introduction.

"I'm not a killer. What are you, anyway."

"A cat." She answered, almost immediately as if she expected it. "Can't you tell by my teeth?" She said pointing at her ironically named canines. And by her eagerness, it wasn't a joke. "So, are you an animal too? You don't smell like anything I know, but you don't look like anything in the books either."

"I'm human." He said a little too defensively. She meant no offense, but she also didn't seem to take the hint.

"Human? So, like Anna!"

Neither could tell what she was thinking. But they didn't divulge any further when the door suddenly opened and a storm of rose petals blown in and the teacher entered the room in a pink princess ball gown and glass slippers. Her long, perfect, golden blonde curls billowing in the wind storm, her green, emerald-like eyes gleaming, and her button nose poised and composed like a queen.

"Settle down, darlings." She had the same faulty accent, Gilbert noted, as the others he had heard. "Now, darlings, I am Ms. Queen, but you may call me Sophia, or even Sophie. I like to think we are very close, and nothing is closer than calling each other by their first names, is it not?" Except she had a more forced nature behind her harp-like voice.

"I am your Etiquette and Mannerisms teacher for the rest of the year." She said looking at each and every student in the room. She paused a moment when she saw the twitching of ears, but it didn't last long as she continued her sweep of the class. "But I would like to get to know you better before we start. It lets me understand your upbringing, and better help you in this course. A fine lady or gentleman is the best way to lead to your happy ending. But happy endings are for another time, for now, introduce yourselves to your neighbors. These neighbors are your friends. They are the ones that will help you towards your happy ending."

The students were reluctant (mainly because the blonde in charge was a little _too_ blonde) but one thing led to another, they started chattering again just like before the beginning of class. Each introducing themselves from lands all over. There was even one who said he was a child of a swan! Suffice to say Gilbert felt a little uncomfortable in the presence any of these fair maidens and nobles. He was different, and hearing them all introduce themselves as such made him feel even less significant. And he hated it.

The feeling of superiority — of being inferior to everyone in the room — made him anxious. He remembered the words of the nobles, and even the townspeople. The gossips and rumors that plagued him even in this very moment, but he couldn't hate them. He knew he couldn't, because all the people here are _Good_. All except him. So what went wrong?

"You are different. You and I are different." Anna said.

Their little group of three had little to say other than reintroduce themselves. The energeticly odd girl had went silent after that, but she chose now to speak up, there was an unnatural innocence in her, one that can be easily ignored.

"You are different. And so is Bunny. (Bunny?) And everyone." She started to lose her earlier innocence, and even her ears disappeared. She sounded mature, a complete one eighty from only a brief moment ago. "Belonging is all up to you."

Both Gilbert and Arthur were at a loss for words. Anna was an odd girl, tail, ears or not, she was strange. But that wasn't a problem. It was only another twist in their intertwining fates.

Class continued with more introductions of the rest of the class, and a brief explanation of language barriers and the school. According to Sophia, the school is charmed to protect students from the outside world. Beyond the tower, and beyond the castle, even beyond both schools, a barrier protects them from anything that could harm them. It rejects the entrance of outsiders not permitted on school grounds. Then there's the barrier between the Academy for the Sinned and the Academy for the Punished.

Good and Evil. Two separate forces, equal and opposite. Untainted. Even though that's the rule, there are exceptions. Both schools exist to protect order and balance. They are permitted to share classes between schools, of course, they would have to be unbiased in teachings. Few classes exist to be shared, and not always is it welcome, but to better appreciate and understand each other it was instated.

And according to Sophia, Gilbert's next class was so.

* * *

"Good morning." Ellis said.

 _Ellis had woken early that morning, a little too early. The clock by her bedside table read '5.13' by the time she woke. It wasn't unusual for her to just wake up early in the morning, but never this early. Nonetheless she was awake._

 _Every morning for the past ten years she had taken to picking flowers. It was her favorite pass time really. Every morning, she would wake up and leave the house when the people of town were barely awake. She would walk towards the fields near the cliff top and watch nature take its course._

 _She would watch the birds wake from their nests and chirp at the morning sun. She would observe the smaller animals scurry about the ground trying to run away. She would listen to the wind carry the songs of the birds. Then she would find a small patch of grass land and watch the flowers wake to the sun's arrival. Only when they are in full bloom would she pick them for the people of the town. Beautiful and peaceful they were. Gorgeous and wild, filled with nature's scent. They were the perfect ware._

 _This morning however would be different. This morning she wakes only to a dim sun that barely rose over the horizon. Today there were no flowers to be picked. There was nothing to greet her to the new day. No reminder of her previous life, only the empty feeling of waking to nothing. Especially in such a dark room. And so she sat. She sat waiting for the morning sun to rise._

"Good morning, Miss Ellis." The boy, Raivis, from their earlier meeting, greeted her. He was a timid child, from Ellis' observations. He trembled at the sight of her, or maybe it was the intimidating feeling of being in a room such as the one they were in.

A room decorated with antiques down to the wallpaper. Like a display room of a high class noble. It was surreal, both the situation and the room. You could even call it a joke. Nothing of the room represented something evil. In fact it represented high class society, even its portraits which hung lined up across the upper part of the room. Each represented a moment of when famous story characters have lost their way. _Deceit_.

 _-SLAM-_

The metal door opened against its will, letting in a silhouette of black. The long black hair indicated a woman. The body still and motionless, yet it moved. A ghost of a porcelain glass doll, with black beady eyes and bone porcelain skin. She wore a black rag doll dress, of which, gave her a much younger appeal, almost like a child even. And following behind her was a black cat with a strange patch of fur over the left eye, seemingly in the shape of a star.

The woman stands before the blackboard, as antique as the classroom and starts writing the class lesson.

It reads:

" _Deceit: To tell a lie to one self, and truth to another."_

The star-eyed cat climbed from the woman onto the podium. It coughed and began to speak. As if to get attention, the cat feigned a hack and began to _speak_. It spoke.

"A human that writes, and a human that walks, and a human that looks human. That is what Mystery is, because she is human." It began. "But what am I."

Ellis looks around the class (which by now have taken their seats) to see the odd faces of some of her classmates. Beside her was the boy she had met their first day. He was looking down at the table with his hands folded, akin to something a 'good boy' from back home, only the boy didn't seem to be afraid, but rather wanted to avoid. Ellis studied him for a few seconds more before moving on to the rest of the class.

She hadn't exactly gotten a good look from her brief entrance to her quick look over of the classroom before the teacher entered. From what she could see, this wasn't exactly your normal everyday class either, but then again, they weren't home anymore. The children came in all shapes and sizes (not in the way that you'd think). They were the picture perfect characters you'd see in a fairy tale, from the most human looking of the students, to the more deformed and fairy-like of the rest, they all looked like they belong in a fantasy land. It wasn't easy to tell whether the human looking were meant to be there, for they either looked innocent as the boy next to her, or royal as the kings and queens from outside her small little world.

Then there were those that weren't human, or what she could assume from their peculiar appendages. From nymph-like girls with floral arrangements in their hair, to the more primitive and more pronounced animal featured students, they differed greatly from the human looking students. So much that it brought her back to the teacher.

The woman that had walked in in an almost doll like fashion that could not be human, and the cat which she had assumed a pet were definitely not normal. So much, in fact, that she had believed the woman had been their teacher. And from the faces of some of the students, so had they. She then returned her attention back to the cat.

The cat awaited an answer in silence, swaying it's tail up and down before it's body in an eerie manner. It may have been obvious what the answer was but no one attempted to answer. The class stayed silent just like the cat; just like the teacher. Then they traded places.

The cat jumped from it's high haven on the podium into a rising swell of smoke that enveloped the whole body just as it touched the ground. The same with the human. She too was enveloped in smoke just the same as it began to it's path towards the podium. Once the smoke lifted, both cat and human were in position as they were before.

Magic.

Ellis continued to watch the smoke clear. _It was magic._ She should have been in disbelief, shocked even, but she wasn't. She wasn't because when children go missing into story books and never return, something as simple as magic must be natural. And when she turned to look around her, some showed the signs, but many didn't.

They knew.

 _They belong._

Faces of deprived emotion, irritation, and resign. They knew and they belong. They knew they belong. No more than the villains of fairy tales, whether they be famous or not. Not everyone will see them as good. Because a villain will always be a villain. In a fairy tale world of good and evil, evil is just evil.

"Welcome to the Academy of the Sinned."

* * *

Cat Girl (Anna Fairchild): 14 years old, born May 25th. She is a demi-human who comes from a land where demi-humans coexist with both humans and non-humans alike. With hair styles that change depending on her mood, her only signature are her cat features that may disappear at will. (Somewhat based on Catgirl from xXxHolic.)

Raivis Galante: In case you haven't notice, it's Latvia (14). I haven't gotten his character down yet, but almost everyone has a dark side, and that applies even to the most innocent of Hetalia characters, Liechtenstein included.

Arthur Kirkland: England/Britain (14). A young boy from Great Britania who speaks his mind, whether it be good or bad. He acts older than he really is, and pretends to me mature and gentleman-like, but it's only to hide his more rougher personality, one that developed over years of goofing off with his brothers.

Sophia Queen: A professor who loves all things good. She aspires to be the best there is. And she believes that the first step is through beauty, what better way than through their personality. - Yes, she seems like a cookie cutter teacher in this, that's because she's one of the main characters from the book. And yes, she was that annoying, actually a lot worse, in the book.

Emily Strange: A professor for the evil arts. She is accompanied by her familiar, Mystery, which can be identified by the star shaped fur patch around it's left eye. - Yes it's "Emily the Strange" but no, it's also not. I read only one novella a while back, but i barely remember it. The cat is also from the franchise, except the official one has the star on the right side.


End file.
